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In the framework of the design study of future linear colliders, the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) aims for electron-positron collisions with high luminosity at a nominal center-of-mass energy of 3 TeV. To achieve the luminosity requirements, predamping rings (PDRs) and damping rings (DRs) are required: they reduce the beam emittance before the beam is accelerated in the main linac. Several kicker systems are needed to inject and extract the beam from the PDRs and DRs. In order to achieve both low beam coupling impedance and reasonable broadband impedance matching to the electrical circuit, striplines have been chosen for the kicker elements. In this paper, we present the complete design of the striplines for the DR extraction kicker, since it is the most challenging from the field homogeneity point of view. The excellent field homogeneity required, as well as a good transmission of the high voltage pulse through the electrodes, has been achieved by choosing a novel electrode shape. With this new geometry, it has been possible to benefit from all the advantages that the most common shapes introduce separately. Furthermore, a detailed study of the different operating modes of a stripline kicker allowed the beam coupling impedance to be reduced at low frequencies: this cannot be achieved by tapering the electrodes. The optimum design of the striplines and their components has been based on studies of impedance matching, field homogeneity, power transmission, beam coupling impedance, and manufacturing tolerances. Finally, new ideas for further improvement of the performance of future striplines are reported.

A precision measurement by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station of the positron fraction in primary cosmic rays in the energy range from 0.5 to 350 GeV based on $6.8\times {10}^6$ positron and electron events is presented. The very accurate data show that the positron fraction is steadily increasing from 10 to $\sim 250\mathrm{GeV}$, but, from 20 to 250 GeV, the slope decreases by an order of magnitude. The positron fraction spectrum shows no fine structure, and the positron to electron ratio shows no observable anisotropy. Together, these features show the existence of new physical phenomena.

The EuroCirCol collaboration is designing a 16 T ${\mathrm{Nb}}_3\mathrm{Sn}$ dipole that can be used as the main bending magnet in a 100 km long 100 TeV hadron-hadron collider. For economic reasons, the magnets need to be as compact as possible, requiring optimization of the cable cross section in different magnetic field regions. This leads to very high stored energy density and poses serious challenges for the magnet protection in case of a quench, i.e., sudden loss of superconductivity in the winding. The magnet design therefore must account for the limitations set by quench protection from the earliest stages of the design. In this paper we describe how the aspect of quench protection has been accounted for in the process of developing different options for the 16 T dipole designs. We discuss the assumed safe values for hot spot temperatures and voltages, and the efficiency of the protection system. We describe the developed tools for the quench analysis, and how their usage in the magnet design will eventually ensure a secure magnet operation.